Thread-cutter.



PATENTED MAY 2 1908.

J. P. WILKINS.

THREAD CUTTER.

\ APPLIOATION FILED APR. 2'1, 1907.

A TTOR/VE V5 WITNESSES: W ',,1 I, v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FRANKLIN WILKINS, OF CHEROKEE, KANSAS.

THREAD-CUTTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs- F. WILKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cherokee, in the county of Crawford and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful ThreadCutter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in screw plates for cutting threads on rods, bolts, pipes, and other devices, and it has for its object to provide an improved tool of this character wherein the die carrying members are pivotally connected and provided with a latch or look for retaining the members in cooperative relation during the threaded operation, and permitting the members to be opened to disengage the dies relatively to the threads, so that the necessity of backing off the dies relatively to the threads is obviated, and, furthermore, it has for its object to provide an improved mounting for the dies whereby they may be easily adjusted and are firmly supported in proper cooperative relation duringthe thread cutting operation.

To these and other ends, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and combination and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out particularly in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a front view of a die stock constructed in accordance with the present invention, the memberslthereof being shown in locked relation. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing ,the members in unlocked position. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section on the line 3 '3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the dies.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

The invention in its present form is shown in connection with a die stock which is composed of a pair of similarly shaped members 1 and 2 having handles 3 and 4 arranged substantially in alinement and extending in opposite directions from the respective mem bers, the proximate ends of the members being provided with cooperating hinge lugs 5 through which a pivot pin 6 passes, the

hinge thus provided forming a pivotal connection between the members of the stock, the axis of the hinge being offset laterally of the longitudinal center of the stock, the inner ends of the members directly opposite to the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1907.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Serial No. 370,679.

hinge cooperating to limit the closing movement of the members.

Formed in the side of one of the members is a slot 7 into which is fitted a latch 8, a pivot pin 9 connecting the latter toits respective member, and extending beyond the slot is an aperture 10 which forms a seat for one end of a coiled compression spring 11, the opposite end of the latter engaging the inner side of the latch and normally operating to move it outwardly or into open position, the heel 12 on the latch cooperating with a shoulder 13 on the stock to limit the opening movement of the latch. The other member of the stock is provided with a slot 14 which registers with the slot 7 when the members of the stock are in closed relation, the free end of the latch projecting beyond the member 2 and adapted to engage the slot formed in the cooperating member.

Extending through an aperture 15 in the member 1 is the shank 16 of a locking dog, the upper end of the latter extending to the exterior of the member and provided with an operating head 17, and its inner end being 1 doubled, as shown in Fig. 3, to form an upturned locking projection 18, the latter being guided in an aperture 19 and adapted to engage the recess 20 formed in the latch, the latter being preferably provided with a beveled surface 21 leading to the recess, so that the locking action will take place automatically as the latch is moved into locked position. The locking dog or bolt is yieldingly held in locked position by means of a helical compression spring 22 encircling the shank 16 at a point between the head 17 and k the adjacent surface of the stock. When the members of the stock are moved into locked relation, and the latch is pressed inwardly by manipulation of the finger-piece 23 on the free end thereof, the locking dog will be retracted by the engagement of the bevel with the projection 18, the latter subsequently engaging the recess 20 in the latch and thereby retaining it in locked position, the shoulder 24 on the latch cooperating with the shoulder I 25 arranged in the slot 14 of the member 1, and thereby holding the members of the stock in'closed relation.

If so desired, one or more dowel pins 27 may be fitted into one of the members, correspondingly arranged recesses being provided in the other member to receive them, the purpose of the dowel pins being to insure registration of the dies.

In the present instance, one die is carried by each member of the stock, the dies being substantially duplicates, each die comprising a body portion 28 having thread cutting surfaces 29 at its inner end and provided with a reduced operating extension 30 fitted to operate between the walls of a slot 31 extending in a direction longitudinally of the respective member of the slot and is provided with threaded portions 32 and 33 which project at opposite sides of the slot, a threaded sleeve 34 revolubly fitting the member and cooperating with the threaded portions of the die for adjusting it longitudinally in the said slot. Relative longitudinal movement of the sleeve is prevented by the shoulder 35 at one side thereof and an adjustable collar 36 threaded on the handle at the opposite side of the sleeve.

In order to prevent lateraal displacement of the die, it is providedwith a pair of longitudinally extending shoulders 37 and 38 which are arranged t cooperate with the shoulders 39 and 40 formed at opposite sides of the slot 31, and the body portion is enlarged to fit the recess 41, the upper edges of the body portion being beveled, as at 42 and 43, to fit the correspondingly tapered walls of the recess, while the bottom of the body portion is substantially flat and engages the bottom of the recess. By turning the adjusting sleeve in the proper direction, the die may be operated in a direction longitudinally of the respective member of the stock, and this permits the dies to be adjusted to cut threads of different diameters.

A thread cutter constructed in accordance with the present invention may be readily applied to and'removed from the bolt, rod,

or other object to be threaded, and after the thread has been cut, the latch may be readily unlocked, springing open and releasing the stock sections or members so that they may be opened about the hinge, thereby disen- 45 gaging the dies from the threads, the dies being capable of removal without liability of injuring the threads or unduly wearing the dies. Moreover, the mode of mounting and adjusting the dies insures their alinement and registration, and enables the dies to be quickly adjusted to diflerent diameters or sizes of threads, or in order to enable a tight or loose fitting thread to be cut, and as these may be removed by turning the adjusting sleeves far enough, they may be interchanged with dies of different sizes.

What is claimed is 1. In a thread cutting device, a pair of members mounted in pivotal relation, dies carried by said members, a latch for locking the members in cooperative relation, means for impelling the latch to the unlocked position, and a lock in operative relation to the latch when closed for retaining the same in the latched position.

2. In a thread-cutting device, the combination with a pair of pivotally-connected members, of a pair of dies carried by said members, and a latch pivotally connected to one of the members and cooperating with the other member for locking the dies in coo erative relation, a dog niovably niounte on one of the members and cooperating with the latch for retaining it in locked position, and means operative to unlock the latch upon release of the dog therefrom.

3. In a thread cutting device, the combination with a pair of pivotally connected members, having cooperatively arranged dies mounted thereon, of a latch pivotally connected to one of the members and having a shoulder thereon adapted to cooperate with a portion of the other member, a spring normally operating to disengage the latch, and a dog having a spring operating to retain it in 00- operative relation with the latch and serving to hold the latter in locked position.

4. In a thread cutting device, the combination with a pair of pivotally connected members having registering slots formed therein at one side, one of the slots having a locking shoulder therein, and dies carried by said members, of a latch having one end pivotally mounted in the other of said slots, a spring normally operating the latch toward unlocked position, the free end of the latch having a shoulder thereon adapted to cooperate with the shoulder on said member to lock the members in coo erative relation and a device for retaining t 1e latch in locked position.

5. In a thread cutting device, the combination with a pair of pivotally connected members having dies mounted thereon, of a latch pivotally connected to one of the members and having a locking shoulder arranged to cooperate with the other member to retain the members in cooperative relation, the latch being provided at a point adjacent to its locking shoulder with a recess, and having a beveled surface adjacent the recess, and a dog mounted to operate in one of the members and having a projection thereon arranged to cooperate with the said beveled surface and to engage the recess of the lat h to retain the latter in locked position.

6. In a thread cutter, the combination with a pair of connected members having handles projecting in opposite directions on the respective members, guiding slots being formed in the members substantially in alinement with the said handles, of dies mounted to operate longitudinally of the said slots and having threaded portions thereon, and internally threaded adjusting sleeves revolubly 5 mounted on the handles and cooperating with the respective dies.

7. In a thread cutter, the combination with a pair of connected members having handles thereon, a shoulder arranged toward I the inner end of each handle, and an adj ust- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as able collar threaded on the handles, of a air my own, I have hereto affixed my signature 10 of dies guided filo 0 erate on said mem ers in the presence of two Witnesses. and having t ea ed ortions projecting from the opposite sides 0% the respective han- JAMES FRANKLIN WILKINS' dles, and an internally threaded adjusting Witnesses: sleeve revolubly mounted on each handle be- J. R. SIMS, tween the shoulder and the collar thereof. S. B. LUCAS. 

